Down and Out in South Beach

Is it just me or is it incredibly ironic that in a pivotal game 4 of the conference finals, a game that the Chicago Bulls had to have to stay alive in this series, the NBA MVP and NBA Coach of the Year got outplayed, outhustled and outsmarted in crunch time?  You can talk all you want about the Heat's stellar play, Lebron James' electric performance making up for a subpar offensive game from Dwayne Wade, and the rise of Chris Bosh, but the real story was the poor decisions made by Derrick Rose and Tom Thibodeau in the last 8 seconds of regulation. 



The look on Thibodeau's face says it all...
 (from cbssports.com)


Throughout the series, it has been apparent that unless Rose plays well, Chicago is not deep enough to make up for his lack of offensive production.  Their defense has been shredded by the Heat over the last three games, and the Bulls have only managed to stay competitive in those games by simply trying to match Miami shot for shot.  If Rose can't get his game going by creating space off of the dribble and being able to get into the paint when he wants to, then Chicago sputters.  His teammates just sit around the 3 point arc or down on the blocks waiting for something to come their way.  They have shown no ability to create their own shots or scoring opportunites, unlike the Heat.  Game 4 was different though.  Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah were moving well without the ball when Rose cut in the lane.  They showed great awareness and made consistent plays on the interior, taking the pressure off of Derrick Rose.  And last night, Rose needed their help in the second half.  Heat coach Erik Spoelstra made the decision to put Lebron on Rose, effectively eliminating him from the game.  Rose had no way to counter Lebron's strength and quickness which prevented him from getting to the rim, or his length and ability to contest every jump shot that Rose attempted.  Rose had no room to breath in the fourth quarter, and it was a brilliant move by Spoelstra.  And the coach of the year's counter move??  To do nothing.  For most of the 4th quarter, Rose tried and tried again (with no success) to take Lebron off of the dribble.  Instead of challenging Lebron and possibly forcing him into foul trouble, Rose settled for step back jump shots which drew iron over and over.  Thibodeau had no set plays to run and called for no specific offense; hardly a counter strategy when your guy can't get anything going. 

However, Chicago still had a chance.  After a generous offensive foul call on James with only 8 seconds put the Bulls in a chance to head back to Chicago with the series all knotted up.  So after a quick huddle to game plan, and after inserting knockdown shooter Kyle Korver into the line up following the timeout, what did Thibodeau dial up?  Another clear-out isolation play.  No offensive movement, no pick and roll, no screens or any type.  Another step back jumper that resulted in an air ball from Rose due to great defense from James and overtime.  But this abortion of a play can't all be laid on Thibodeau's shoulders.  Miami was over the foul limit.  Derrick Rose is a wizard at getting to the basket and at a minimum, drawing contact for chance at free throws.  8 seconds is an eternity to set something up.  And it is plenty of time to set up your dribble and get your defender off balance before taking it to the hole.  Rose showed his immaturity in the league on this play.  He showed an inability to find a way to use Lebron's aggressiveness against him, which led to a step back, fadeaway jumper that was more of a prayer than a shot.  Those 8 seconds, and the execution (or lack thereof) of the Bulls' offense effectively ended their season and any hopes of advancing.

Not something you expected to see from the current league MVP and his coach of the year.